How to differentiate between doing business and branding

When you develop your own product, do you build a business or a brand? We all know how important a brand is to an entrepreneur: maybe your industry is negligible, but when you mention the Apple, the McDonald's, The Coca-Cola, the brand effect has been able to endorse the industry. This is undoubtedly the most brilliant achievement for every entrepreneur. But what is the difference between doing business and branding? How to build your own brand standing still? The following is the view of US brand building expert Chris Kocek.

　　How can an entrepreneur say "We're not just a company, we're a brand", what separates a business from a brand? is revenue? is the number of company outlets? is something you can measure with a label and a forwarding volume? What must be done before that ?

The brand concept is very confusing. Ask 10 different people what the brand is and you will get 10 different answers. For Wikipedia, a brand is defined here as a "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature" that can indicate that a seller's product is quite different from that of another seller. These names, terms, designs, symbols, or any other features may sound impressive, but it really just means that you need to be different from others.

For some brand managers, the brand definition is "when he or she hears your brand name, no matter what the future of your brand, will think of you." In other words, your brand is your reputation.

I have talked to some people about this issue and they think the brand manifesto is just a vase. They tell me that brands are businesses that continuously provide customers with high quality products. They take Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Target and Apple as examples, stressing that these brands have achieved today because they have provided the highest quality products in the market over the years.

On the surface, as with all other definitions, this argument is not unreasonable. Coca-Cola's brand reputation was also lost when Coca-Cola introduced New Coke in the late 80, when customers disliked the taste of New cola. In 2008, Schultz (Howard Schultz) temporarily shut down Starbucks ' 7000 outlets in the United States because he felt that the art of cooking espresso had been lost, and he wanted to bring it back.

Quality, differentiation and reputation are the important basis of brand building, but they are still only functional features. After all, there is a fact that the Mexican fast-food restaurant, which specializes in tacos, has over 30 outlets in Texas and has a good reputation for providing high-quality low-priced Mexican foods, but I don't necessarily think they are a brand. At least it's not the same brand as McDonald's, Starbucks or Coca-Cola.

Let's go back to the original question: What makes a business and a brand separate?

In my experience as a brand designer, the enterprise grew into a brand when it transcended its origins. It has a mature core asset or a specific business philosophy, it transforms these ideas into what it does, through the product, service or sequential product line extension to achieve its reputation or world view.

The reputation of Lego (Lego) is based on "children's imagination and creativity", it has gone beyond its original origins-the brilliantly designed children's building blocks-with its sprawling product line everywhere, from shoes, video games, robots, playgrounds to their own animated full-length films, It has now become one of the most iconic brands in the world.

Coca-Cola, which is nothing more than carbonated water and a strict, confidential formula that includes sugar and high fructose corn syrup, has become synonymous with "unexpected moments of happiness." This simple, but powerful idea that makes Coca-Cola go beyond the sweet functional realm, making the bubble drink a sign that people can relate to deeper thoughts.

By focusing on family farms, local sourcing and friendly animals, Chipotle (the American Mexican-style fast-food brand) has become a much bigger brand than burritos (Mexico).

So the next time you find someone questioning whether you have a business or a brand, ask yourself, "What am I actually selling?" If the answer is something that goes beyond your field of business, you may be on your way to a very successful brand.

Author: Crisco Seck (Chris Kocek) is the founder and CEO of the Strategic and design studio gallant in Texas, USA, dedicated to branding a better world. He is also the author of the book "Practical Pocket Guide to Customer Planning" (The practical Pocket Guide to account calculates).